2015 Chevrolet Equinox — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $8,000–$13,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
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Kestrel Take
A popular, roomy crossover with the same oil-hungry 2.4L that plagued the earlier ones. The 3.6L V6 avoids the engine problem entirely and is the version to want. Check the oil, the timing chain, and skip the four unless it has a spotless history.
What we checked
Partly reconciled against public records, 2026-09-11
NHTSA holds 679 owner complaints for the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, across 2 recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 41% of them are about one thing — glass, wipers and mirrors. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.
2 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Not written up yet: glass, wipers and mirrors (279 complaints), the transmission and drivetrain (63 complaints). Those groups are in the public record and are not covered by the issues below. Treat them as something to ask about, not as absent.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents.
Piston-ring design burns a quart every 1,000-1,500 miles; subject to a class-action settlement. Running low starves the engine.
Repair cost (estimate): $3,000-$5,000 for a ring job
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (231).
Caused by chronic low oil. Cold-start rattle and correlation codes.
Repair cost (estimate): $1,500-$2,800
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (231).
High-pressure pump failures on the direct-injected 2.4.
Repair cost (estimate): $600-$1,200
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (35).
Common GM crossover complaint.
Repair cost (estimate): $600-$1,500
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Owner says it uses a little oil
- ✗Blue smoke or cold-start rattle
- ✗Oil level below the dipstick range
- ✗Deferred oil changes
Good Signs
- ✓3.6L V6 — no oil consumption
- ✓Documented ring replacement under the settlement
- ✓Oil consumption test passed
Found a specific Chevrolet Equinox?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox in general. The Kestrel report covers this specific car— the asking price vs. market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
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Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for this year. It stops short of the verdict, because that needs the photos.
Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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